As The Full Moon Rises
by And My Bird Can Sing
Summary: Finally updated! Remus Lupin is 16 years old and confused about life in general. Better than it sounds, a lot of fun, and no marysues! I love reviews, just so you know ::wink::
1. PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE  
  
Not only was Remus Lupin intelligent, he was witty, oddly physically alluring and, among all other things, highly unusual. He didn't come across as arrogant, however, as one might think. On the contrary, he was quite humble, never taking joy in the pain of others, but rather in seeing others take joy. Shy though he was, he retained a few friends who he felt, no matter the circumstance, would not abandon him.  
  
He looked like the type of person to come out of an old romance film, black and white pictures included. Although a mere sixteen years of age, he had an outlandishly worn look about him; the kind of look a person gets from tirelessly straining for sleepless night after sleepless night.  
  
His smooth, almond-colored hair fell down past his eyes gracefully whenever he bent over a book or a poem, and always looked like a skillful artist had swept a paintbrush in just the right way across his furrowed brow. Strange though it may sound, not many people noticed him for what he was. Many girls would give him a second glance in the corridors out of mere curiosity, but none would ever think about him at night, wishing he would write them poems or romanticize them with endless limericks and candlelit dinners. They might, however, if he was only bold enough to look them in the eye.  
  
His eyes, though oddly bland and insignificant, held a spectacular beauty all their own. Upon first glance, they appeared to be nothing more than a common hazel. However, upon further assessment, they were silvery orbs flecked with scintillating highlights of a deep, forest green, timidly shrouded beneath a brilliant mind, which was burdened with insecure notions and arduous resolutions. If you really delved into his soulful, expressive eyes, you might find that they'd give you chills.  
  
Another aspect that led to his bedraggled facade was his heedlessness to his appearance. He felt he didn't need a girl to tell him he looked handsome in order to achieve his ambitions. In fact, he believed that, in order to succeed in life, he needed only himself, with the exception of a few friends whom had already committed themselves to him as lifelong splinters in his side. So, as a result of this negligence, he proceeded to wear old, gray robes, patches stitched in areas that only could have deteriorated due to old age.  
  
Yes, Remus Lupin was indeed an unusual teenager. This was not unknown due to his reputable nature and romantic identity. The fact that he came from a wealthy family certainly didn't help things along, either. People knew of him, and yet were unaware of him simultaneously. It was an odd relationship they had, Remus Lupin and the public. What made it even odder was that he was a werewolf. 


	2. Burning Piles of Rubbish

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Remus Lupin sat beneath a beech tree on the edge of the lake at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. He was leaning up against it, his eyes barely shaded from the brilliant sun. He seemed to be in his own world. He was currently writing in a large, tattered book with binding that was a deep crimson, with quite a bit of torn edges, frayed bookmarks sticking out of the pages in random places. It was quite unorganized, but in a way that deemed him ingenious.  
  
This is what he was scrawling out frantically onto a piece of yellowed parchment.  
  
"Life has no value and yet is priceless, much like the breeze on a hot summer's day. Whipping past you, it gives you quite the sensation that there is no breeze at all, and that it is just a consistency that God is granting you along with the simple joy of knowing you are loved. At the same time, the wind chills you, then ruthlessly takes its gift away, with naught left but a blazing hot sun upon your timid eyes. You receive the impression that your face was momentarily a canvas for the paintbrush that Mother Nature had swept across your presence in the form of a pleasant breeze for one brief moment. Such is life-a gift given, and then snatched away, right as we start to appreciate it."  
  
Remus thought for moment. "Bloody hell." He muttered angrily, chucking his book of poems across the field of grass before him, fuming with anger and causing several girls by the lake's shore to stare at him oddly. This was the most emotion they'd ever seen him express.  
  
Remus looked at them and blushed a little, having forgotten that they were there. He didn't care much-he was so angry with himself for not being able to write anything decent, it went beyond embarrassing himself in front of a bunch of girls. "Lacarnum inflamarae!" He shouted, pointing his long, mahogany wand at the mass of papers. The book of poems burst into flames. "Chew on that, you pile of rubbish!" He yelled at it.  
  
The girls on the edge of the lake began to giggle as they looked back at him curiously. Remus glared at them for a moment, then went back to watching his pile of poems burn.  
  
"No matter what happens, nothing I do ever comes out right." He stared at the burning mass before him and pointed his wand at it once again. "Hydrolato inflamarae!" Out of nowhere, a bucket of water poured itself onto the fire.  
  
"Of course, I get all my inspiration around full moon, but that does me no good, now does it?" Remus told himself as he got up and walked over to the huge pile of ashes, pawing at it with his foot. "Reparo." He muttered lazily, waving his wand quite halfheartedly.  
  
"Stupid poems." He muttered, sweeping up the book and its poems which had magically reassembled themselves out of the ashes.  
  
He bent down to pick up a poem, but there was somebody standing on it. He looked up to see one of his best friends, Sirius Black, looking down at him, a rather mischievous grin plastered across his face. "Having some trouble, are we, Moony?" Sirius asked him jokingly.  
  
Remus cracked a smile. "Yeah, Padfoot, you want to help me?"  
  
"Oh, right." He lifted his foot off the single piece of paper. "There you go, please continue." He yawned uninterestedly, and then looked back at Remus, as though only just realizing something. "Oh, hey, I saw your little tantrum. I didn't know you were into book-burning. Silly me, I even thought you liked them."  
  
"Really, now what would make you think that?"  
  
Sirius shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. The way you're always reading them. Quoting them. Writing in them. Sleeping with them under your pillow-"  
  
"Sirius, did you come over here to find out what's wrong with me or not?"  
  
"We already know you're a werewolf, you dolt."  
  
Remus rolled his eyes.  
  
"But seriously, Moony, you're a smart lad. I'm sure, whatever it is, you can sort it all out by yourself."  
  
Remus laughed. "Thanks for the support."  
  
"Anytime, mate." Sirius responded sincerely.  
  
Many of the girls on the lake's shore had begun to stare over at Remus now; or, rather, to stare at Sirius. It was no wonder, either. Sirius had a very handsome face, as well as a rather rebellious nature that typically led to leather jackets and fist fights.  
  
He had deep, dark brown eyes that came alive with a fantastic flame when danger was on his heels. His black hair always swept across his face perfectly and his wild grin could light a soaked pile of logs ablaze. He dressed in sharp robes all the time and had an excited sort of drawl about his voice that made him seem casual and laid-back, yet at the same time, mischievous and fiery.  
  
However, to girls, the most irritating thing about Sirius Black was that he never noticed them. At the same time, this is also what made them want him so much. They could say or do just about anything and he wouldn't respond with so much as a glance in their general direction. This was true for all but one girl. Sirius had his eyes on Cindy Piper, a fourth year Ravenclaw, and she had her eyes on everything but him. More on that, though, later. "So really, Moony, what have you been up to over here?" Sirius bent down to pick up some papers.  
  
Remus snickered as he looked past his friend to see the girls on the lake's edge staring at Sirius, some of them giggling, others chattering, but most of them just looking. "Nothing much." He lied. "Just a little writer's block is all." The truth was that he had been scouring his mind for any possible upsides to his life. So, rather than keeping quiet, as usual, he had taken it out on his mediocre writing.  
  
Sirius looked at him skeptically. "Uh-huh." They both stood up, Sirius handing Remus the poems he had collected. "Well. A little writer's block can drive the best of us to sanity." He winked at Remus and smiled a little, sending the girls into a fit of hysteria. He looked back at them and waved sarcastically. "What's up with them?"  
  
"They think you're cute." The young werewolf suppressed a smile.  
  
Sirius gaped at him. "Where did you get a crazy idea like that?" He'd always been blissfully unaware of his good looks. Nobody had ever felt the need to tell them.  
  
"Maybe because they told me?" He faked an unnaturally high, feminine voice. "'Remus Lupin, isn't it? I hear you're friends with that handsome block, Sirius Black.'" He couldn't continue, he was laughing so hard.  
  
Sirius continued to gape. "I didn't know girls talked to you like that."  
  
Remus shrugged. "Well, it happens a lot when I'm friends with a handsome bloke like you." With that, he ran off to the castle with his books slung over his back, narrowly missing a hex from Sirius' wand.  
  
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	3. If You Were A Werewolf

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That night, Remus found himself sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room, studying tirelessly for the upcoming O.W.L.s that year. Fifth year was undoubtedly the hardest he'd ever worked, perhaps with the exception of his third year, in which he'd been bitten by a werewolf, thus deemed one himself.  
  
He put the book in front of him down and yawned, looking at his watch. It seemed to be based on the phases of the moon. He let out a pained groan as he saw that it was currently set to a waxing gibbous.  
  
"Why do the months fly by so fast?" He asked himself. "Only a few more days."  
  
He looked at his other wrist, which had a normal watch on it. "Bloody hell." He muttered disappointedly, upon seeing that it was two in the morning.  
  
He shoved his books back into his bag and hauled them upstairs to his dormitory. Without even changing out of his clothes, he fell onto his bed and was swept off into a light slumber, which was thwarted periodically by loud snores from Sirius.  
  
This was not unusual, though, for he hadn't slept for more than five hours a night since the beginning of his third year. He was the only one who knew this, however, for he would lie in bed for hours at a time, pondering things that most people didn't even give a second glance to. His roommates always assumed him to be sleeping. He never slept peacefully, and that was something that he'd never share with anyone.  
  
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"Moony. You all right?" Another one of his best friends, James Potter, peered at him anxiously through a pair of hazel eyes which were hidden behind a matt of unkempt, black hair. "You look a bit. Peaky." He raised an eyebrow at his friend.  
  
"Hmm?" Remus looked up from a copy of The Daily Prophet as they ate breakfast in the Great Hall, his face gaunt and pale. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He sighed. "Just another late night studying." He yawned. "Speaking of which, Prongs, how are you doing with your studying?" He took out a large, leather-bound book and flipped to a page with a bookmark in it. He bit into an apple as he hid his face behind the large cover. "About how many hours a day would you say you study Transfiguration?"  
  
James shrugged. "Enough." Looking for a change of subject, he asked, "So, Moony, where d'you reckon Padfoot and Wormtail are? They're not ones to miss a meal." He grinned.  
  
Remus gave a feeble shrug. A couple minutes later, Sirius and another boy showed up, laughing ridiculously, Sirius' face and hair soaking wet.  
  
"Wormtail, what is wrong with you?" James asked. "I mean, apart from the obvious." Sirius suppressed a smile.  
  
The boy called Wormtail's real name was Peter Pettigrew. He had mousy brown hair, a pointy nose, and beady brown eyes that glinted with mirth and always seemed to be scanning the area nervously. He was Remus' third, and last, best friend.  
  
He persisted in laughing hysterically.  
  
James gave him a sickened, twisted look and turned to Sirius. "All right then, he's not talking sensibly, so let's hear it from you, mate." James smiled at him.  
  
"Right then." He cleared his throat a little, running his fingers through his soaking wet, black hair, trying to smooth it back to his head. It fell limply in front of his face, still dripping water. "We were on our way over here when I saw Cindy walking over to the library, looking gorgeous, as usual." His eyes took on a dreamy, hungering tone as he said this, but his voice kept its coolness.  
  
Wormtail wiped a tear of laughter from his face as he took the liberty of continuing the story. "He stops her and says, 'Cindy, you're looking particularly beautiful today.'" He fell into another fit of hysteria and couldn't proceed.  
  
Sirius glared at him. "There was nothing wrong with telling her she looked beautiful." He elbowed Peter hard in the shoulder to make him stop laughing. It worked. "Well, anyway, she said to me, 'Thanks, but you're not the first one to tell me that today, and I rather think I like the other bloke better.' So I had to get all indignant and ask who it was-you know who she says?"  
  
"Who?" James asked, a smile creeping across his lips.  
  
"Severus Snape." Sirius whispered, as though he was muttering some Dark incantation.  
  
James burst out laughing. "No way!"  
  
"Yes, and when I told her she was daft for even suggesting anything like that, she." He cleared his throat. "She dragged me into the nearby girls' loo and shoved my head in a toilet."  
  
James nearly fell out of his seat laughing. "And you just let her?" He asked, tears running down his face.  
  
"Well, what was I supposed to do! Do you want me to hex her or something?" He took a seat next to Remus, whose head was still buried in a book.  
  
Sirius looked at him oddly. "Oy. Moony. Have you been listening to a word I've been saying?"  
  
"What? Oh yeah, got your face drowned in the girls' loo by Cindy Piper." He answered, never ceasing in his studying.  
  
Sirius continued to look at him. "You're a smart guy, Moony, you don't think Cindy was serious when she said she'd take Snivellus over me, do you?"  
  
He closed his large, leather-bound book and shoved it back into his bag. "Yes." He began to spread some marmalade onto a piece of toast. "But I don't think she was serious when she said Severus had told her she looked beautiful."  
  
Sirius gaped at him, then looked at James. "How does he know these things?" He looked back at Remus admiringly.  
  
James opened his mouth to answer, but Remus interrupted. "Because it's the same old story of a fellow wanting only what he can't have." He took a bite of the toast. "You need to get a life, mate."  
  
"Here, here!" Shouted James happily, waving a glass of orange juice in the air.  
  
"Both of you." Remus corrected himself, heaving his bag over his shoulder. "You're obsessive over two girls you can't have. If they were attainable, you wouldn't care what happened to them. I'm sorry to be sorted into the same category as Wormtail, but you've driven me to it." He looked, in turn from one stunned face to the next. "At least we have lives. Isn't that right, Wormtail?" He looked to Peter, but his friend was currently gaping at Jennifer Owens over at the Hufflepuff table.  
  
Remus glared at him. "Merlin's beard, this school's a mess." He got up from the table and began to walk back to the common room. It was a Saturday, and he intended to spend it the best way he knew how. That was to use every waking moment possible to bask in the glow of his studious nature. As he walked off, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to wheel around, his books flying from his bag, which had fallen on the ground.  
  
He bent down to pick them up, meanwhile looking up to see a very angry James Potter. "Moony, what is wrong with you?"  
  
"Well, compared to you lot, not much." He smiled sarcastically at James, still feeling very put out. "And that says quite a bit, considering the fact that I'm an antisocial werewolf."  
  
He slung his bag back onto his shoulder and continued to walk, trying to ignore James.  
  
"You know what? I'm fed up with this, I'm just fed up, Moony! I'm one of your best friends and you treat me like dirt."  
  
"No one's forcing you to be my friend."  
  
"I know, but I want to be. That's why I'd appreciate it if you could make things a bit easier on me and at least pretend you enjoy my company."  
  
"Prongs, I like doing things with you and Padfoot and Wormtail, but the thing is-I don't need them! That's why I was so irritated with you three, swooning over the same girls and wasting all your time on them, rather than doing something productive!"  
  
"Moony, don't you realize we do it because we're just teenagers? We do it because we can-because we have time to waste on things like that. The truth is that so do you; you just think that time is only spent well when you're learning something."  
  
"Well, isn't it?"  
  
"Of course not! You're oblivious to everything around you, do you realize that? The other day in Transfiguration, I was watching Jackie McCarthy-she couldn't take her eyes off you."  
  
"It wasn't me, you dolt." answered Remus. "Didn't you realize Padfoot was sitting right beside me?"  
  
"Oh." James' enthusiasm faltered. "But you remember just yesterday in Herbology, Lily Evans said you were interesting."  
  
Remus snorted. "That wasn't even a good try. One: you talk about nothing but Lily Evans, thus proving my original point. Two: I believe her words were something along the lines of, 'You see Remus Lupin over there? You very nearly make him look interesting.'"  
  
James paused. "But you've got a better shot than I have, right?"  
  
Remus stopped walking and looked James in the face. "James, how can I make you understand this? I don't want a shot at anyone!"  
  
"How can you say that?"  
  
"It's difficult to explain, but I don't think I'd care if a girl came up to me and said she wanted to marry me and have my children. Nothing anyone could say will ever change my mind on this-trust me."  
  
James looked at him in utter bewilderment. "It really amazes me how you can't like anyone. I mean, it's not just a simple matter of you not liking girls. You genuinely don't like people in general. I just don't understand you."  
  
He sighed. "You would if you were a werewolf." He ran his fingers through his hair, looking curiously weary beyond his years, and walked on toward the Gryffindor common room. 


	4. Another Trek Through the Forbidden Fores...

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Two o' clock the next morning, Remus sat by himself in a chair by the roaring fire of the Gryffindor common room, a huge potion book propped up in his lap, losing consciousness faster than most nights.  
  
He read silently about the effects of moonstone when added to a shrinking potion. 'The effects of moonstone when added to a shrinking potion fluctuate depending on the variation of the potion.' He scribbled some notes onto a sheet of parchment, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He could feel his brain shutting down already. 'When used to dilute the amount of wolfsbane in a potion, moonstone is most commonly the catalyst to small explosions, with the exception of rare instances in which it does not react.' Remus couldn't force his eyes to stay open any longer. He reluctantly leaned back into the chair, burying his face in several pillows behind him, his book falling off his lap onto the floor.  
  
He was racing down a dark, empty path in the Forbidden Forest. "James! Sirius! Where are you? This really isn't funny, if McGonagall hears about this, you'll be up to your necks in detentions!" He stepped on a tree branch and it snapped beneath his feet, causing him to jump.  
  
"Where are you?" He repeated, starting to feel quite scared now. He heard something move about ten yards away. "Peter?" He wheeled around to face where the noise had come from. He stood completely still, listening for anything that might clue him in. It was so dark... If only he had his wand! Where was it? If he could find it, then maybe...  
  
Almost suddenly, he saw several streaks of light shoot through the branches above him, revealing patches of ground. The moon was bright that night and it provided some sustenance for lost vagrants that had the misfortune of wandering a dark street or forest. He swallowed nervously, starting to feel a little better now that he could see something. He walked on and looked up through the branches to see the full moon glaring down at him eerily. Nonetheless, he smiled up at it, feeling that at least it was familiar to him.  
  
Letting out a deep, shuddering sigh, he walked slowly, as silently as he could toward what he guessed to be the border of the forest, hoping his friends had found a way back and weren't as lost as he was.  
  
He'd heard stories about the things that lurked within the darkest and not always the deepest crevices of the Forbidden Forest. There were things that were harmless enough; unicorns, centaurs. On the other hand, there were also things that served a great threat to unsuspecting wanderers.  
  
For a while, all Remus could hear was the sound of leaves crunching beneath his feet, and the wind whistling, low and soft, through the trees that towered above him. He would constantly receive the feeling that he was being watched and would sometimes turn unexpectedly to see if he could catch his stalker off guard. He saw nothing following him, but along with a certain sense of security, it brought the increasing feeling of uneasiness that burdened his mind.  
  
Finally, he stopped and looked up again, seeing the full moon in all its splendor. More than anything, he wanted to find his friends, but he didn't feel that it was wise to shout anything.  
  
Maybe he was almost there... He continued to walk. He thought he heard footsteps behind him but, when he stopped, he realized he must have imagined things and continued walking. Soon enough, he noticed a massive, shadowy figure prowling behind a tree to his left.  
  
He stopped dead in his tracks, strongly inclined to call for help, yet too terrified to say or do anything. Maybe if he stood completely still... Though only a few seconds passed, time seemed to stand still as he stood rooted to the spot. The only things he heard were the pounding of his heart, his heavy breathing, and the growling and snarling of the menacing creature that stood less than nine meters away.  
  
Without time to realize what was happening, the creature had bounded out from behind the tree and landed on top of him. He hit the ground with a loud thud, the mammoth werewolf pinning him and trying with all its might to bite its victim anywhere possible.  
  
Remus held the werewolf's long snout closed with the force of his two hands, but he knew that, eventually, the vicious attacker would win. Remus couldn't keep this up the entire night.  
  
The huge, dog-like creature forced its mouth open and reared back, ready to strike. Remus knew his life would never be the same. The werewolf sunk its teeth deep into the boy's arm.  
  
Remus awoke from his nightmare suddenly with an earth-shattering scream of pain and raw terror echoing in his ears; the scream of a thirteen- year-old boy. He was drenched in a cold sweat, shaking violently, his brain racked with everything that had happened to him the night he was bitten.  
  
He jerked himself out of the stupor he had been in and arose rather shakily from his chair, breathing heavily.  
  
He didn't bother to put his things away (he knew he would just come right back downstairs anyway), but instead trekked up to the boys' dormitory, then ambled into the bathroom.  
  
He looked at himself in the mirror, now shivering with an unpleasant feeling of dread that chilled him to the bone. His face was pale and gaunt, his eyes the only sign of life he could recognize. He splashed some water on his face, then looked at his reflection once more.  
  
How had it all come down to this? Here he was, not even considered to be an adult yet, and he had the weight of school, family, and the harrowing strain of being a werewolf bearing down mercilessly upon his shoulders.  
  
He turned away from the mirror, unable to look at the tortured face that stared back at him for any longer, and trudged back downstairs, feeling no inclination to sleep, however much he knew he really needed it.  
  
He sat back down in his chair and kicked his notes out of the way. Sitting with his elbows on his knees and his hands hanging limply between his legs, he stared into the glowing ashes that lay in the fireplace, sparks flying every now and then, landing on the cobblestone hearth harmlessly.  
  
Remus wasn't bothered by this nightmare, even though he had once experienced this horror firsthand at the naive age of thirteen. He felt that every aspect of being a werewolf was simply a way of life now.  
  
What bothered him most was that, over the past two years, his social life had become a total mess. No, he was not exactly outgoing before the life-changing incident, but he definitely wasn't bitter toward every person who tried to act like a friend to him. What he didn't know was that, given the chance, people would love him more than he thought possible, werewolf or not...  
  
No, the dream didn't bother him at all. After all, it happened every month... On the eve of the full moon...  
  
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	5. Sleazy Werewolves

_AN: It's been a long time, guys—BUT I'M BACK! Yeah, I know this is an old chapter, but I edited it a bit. Nothing serious has been changed, as far as plot or anything goes, but… Well, just read and you'll find out._

Remus decided to savor what little of the next day that he could by laying around outside with two of his three best friends until the sun began to set. Peter had been convinced by Sirius to set off some fireworks in the Slytherin common room, and was currently serving detention with Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house.

Sirius picked up a smooth, flattened rock and flicked his wrist, sending it skipping across the lake. At this, many of the girls who chose to laze around the water clapped heartily, happy that Sirius had even faced their general direction.

Amongst these girls was a pretty brunette with crystal blue eyes that highlighted her evenly tanned face.

"Cindy..." whispered Sirius, gazing wistfully at the one girl on the lake's edge who had chosen not to clap.

"Give it up, mate." James said sympathetically. Even as he said this, he looked hopefully over to a large beech tree where sat his deepest object of affection, Lily Evans.

She had clear, almond-shaped eyes that were a bright green, and rich, dark red hair that flowed down to her back. She sat with a few other fifth year girls who paled in comparison to her beauty.

Remus rolled his eyes but, at the same time, bit his tongue. He knew what would come of his objections. Instead, he pawed at the ground with his foot, trying to avoid confrontation.

"Hey!" Sirius said happily. "She's looking over here! Check it out, Cindy's looking at me!"

"No, she's not..." James tore his eyes away from Lily to look back at Cindy and her friends. His silvery eyes widened. "Bloody hell, she's looking at Moony!"

Remus looked up sharply to see that, sure enough, Cindy Piper looked at him curiously, almost with an air of idolatry. He squinted back at her, making sure it was him she was looking at, and saw her turn her face away from him, blushing slightly. "Nah, I don't think she was looking at me." He lied, averting his gaze once more and kicking the ground.

Sirius looked at him curiously. "Yeah, she couldn't have been..." He looked back over to Cindy. She had walked over to a large boulder and was pretending to bask in the sun. Sirius noticed, however, that she kept glancing over at Remus just long enough to catch a glimpse.

James laughed. "Moony, you've got yourself an admirer!"

Remus shrugged. He didn't mind, nor did he care, but least of all did he want his friends teasing him about it. "James, honestly. I saw her and it didn't look like she was even facing this way."

James gaped at him. "Moony, I can see where you might not like her immediately, but don't deny the facts. We all saw who she was looking at, and I'm pretty sure it was you."

"Maybe." Remus shrugged. "Anyway, it doesn't matter."

"What makes you think that?" Sirius asked him bitterly.

Remus looked up to meet his gaze. "Sirius, I can tell you right now I'm not trying to steal Cindy away from you or anything like that, so don't even pretend that I am."

Sirius sighed, the severe anger in his eyes decreasing. "Could you at least talk to her for me?"

"What!"

"Well, I think you owe me something!"

"Since when?"

"Since Cindy's begun to fancy you!" Sirius hissed.

Remus glared at him. Why he agreed, he would never know, but this is what he said. "Fine. I'll go over there and tell her you're sorry for what you said and that you're a great guy and how horrible I really am. Will that make you happy?"

Sirius smiled. "Yeah, actually, it would! But be nice!" He added hastily.

Remus faked a smile and trudged over to where Cindy lay on the massive boulder. He saw her cheeks turn red as he approached.

He walked up next to the boulder and stopped, looking at her, hoping she would make the first move. Apparently, she chose not to.

He bounced on the balls of his feet and bit his lip. "Uh, hey... Cindy..."

"Hello." she said casually, not looking at him. "It's Remus, right? Remus Lupin?"

He tried to be patient. "Um, yeah. Listen, I don't know if you recall meeting my friends or not, but—"

"You mean Sirius Black and James Potter, right?" She looked at him.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled a little, making her cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red. "Yeah... Yeah, they, um..." He laughed. "They seem to be under the impression that you were staring at me a moment ago and insisted that I come over here and talk to you."

She swallowed nervously and he saw her frightened eyes dart around, avoiding his gaze. "Why would they think that?"

"I... Don't know, Cindy." He paused. "Why don't you tell me?" He suppressed a smile, pleased with himself at how well he was handling the situation.

She sat up and pulled her knees in tight to her chest. She looked at him and said, "Listen. I don't know what you're getting at here, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd get it over with and leave me alone."

He laughed. "All right, I'll admit, I was enjoying watching you feel awkward, I'll stop now." He leaned on the boulder and looked at her. "Now, the thing is, my friend over there", he pointed at Sirius, "thinks you're the most wonderful thing in the world."

"No he doesn't." She responded bitterly. "He just likes me for my looks."

"Honestly, I don't think he does." said Remus, hopping up on the boulder beside her. "I really do think he likes you for who you are." He paused. "Or… Well, at least he likes you from what you'll _let _him know of you."

"How can you possibly know that, it's ridiculous." he could tell she was getting nervous because he was sitting so close to her.

He looked at her while she frantically avoided his gaze. "The same way I know you should give him a chance."

She finally looked at him. Overcome with the emotional weight that was seared deep within his eyes, she leaned in to kiss him.

He hopped off the boulder just in time, shocked at what had just happened. "Cindy, you really shouldn't like me." He reasoned hastily.

She frowned a little. "Why not?"

"Because there's something about me you don't know."

She grinned. "There are lots of things about you I don't know, Remus Lupin. But these are things I intend to find out…" She hopped down the boulder and stood right next to him, looking as though she would lean in to kiss him any second.

"Too close!" He backed away nervously. "I mean, uh…" He coughed, stalling for time to think. "What I mean to say is… There are lots of reasons you wouldn't like me anyway…" He avoided her gaze as she moved in toward him again. "One _main_ reason, of course, but…"

She smiled, making her pretty face even prettier. "Remus, whatever reason it may be, I'm sure it won't matter."

"Clearly you're not thinking through all the possible reasons." He laughed nervously.

"Well then, what is it?"

"Uh… I can't tell you…" He answered.

"And why not?" She asked, her voice quavering threateningly. "I think I have a right to know! Why can't you tell me what reason could be so awful?"

"Because it's just that awful." He laughed at the note of anger in her voice.

"What's so funny?" She asked, getting even angrier.

"N-nothing!" He tried to suppress another laugh. He got himself under control and continued. "Listen, Cindy, you're sweet, intelligent, and God knows you're beautiful, but… You're not for me… I just see you as a pretty girl, and nothing more." He smiled weakly. "I'm sorry... But the reason I came over here was to try to convince you to give Sirius a chance. He really is a good guy, and you…" He paused, thinking about her angry fit. "You deserve each other."

She seemed to calm down at this explanation and nodded sadly. "If it's what you really want, Remus… I'll try."

He paused. "Right..." He walked back over to join his friends, shaking his head, not out of disappointment, but out of utter confusion.

What had just happened? Had a girl actually tried to kiss him? She just lost her head for a minute, that was all…

"Oh thanks, Moony!" Came Sirius' sarcastic remark. "You say, 'No, Padfoot, no way I'll steal Cindy away from you', and then you go and take her, you sleazy, flea-bitten werewolf!"

This was too much. Remus couldn't take it anymore. Without a moment to think about it, he swung his fist and it collided with Sirius' handsome face.

Sirius staggered and gaped at him for a moment before his face contorted into a mask of sheer fury. He dove at Remus, who moved out of the way, easily dodging him.

The enraged, pureblood wizard arose from the ground and put Remus in a headlock, punching him in the face. Remus, meanwhile, had decided to dig his heel as hard as he could into Sirius' foot.

"You mangy git!" Sirius screamed, pulling out his wand.

Remus did the same. His lip was bleeding freely and his left eye was beginning to swell, but he smiled, knowing he could out-hex Sirius any day.

Sirius seemed to realize this too. His eyes widened, just beginning to understand why Remus was smiling. Sirius swallowed nervously.

"Come on..." Remus whispered. "Hex me. Just see what happens, Padfoot."

Sirius shook his head. "No... You win." They put their wands back in their robes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." said Remus, turning around.

Perturbed by this sarcastic remark, Sirius pulled out his wand, pointed it at Remus' back and shouted, "_Lacoretus!"_

Remus staggered and clutched his arm, which had been brutally slashed by the painful hex, blood pouring out through his fingers. He gritted his teeth with anger, but stood up straight and continued walking towards his bag. He picked it up and walked to the castle.

"Thanks for the support, James." He spat angrily at his friend who had been staring at Lily Evans the entire time.

"Anytime, mate..." He muttered, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

AN: So, guys, what do you think? Too much? Too little? Review review review! I need help, people!


	6. Sentimental Slytherins?

_AN: Yes, here's another chapter I'm not sure about in the least. But read it anyway._

"There..." Muttered Remus, lying in the hospital wing. "I've wasted half my day fighting with my best friend over some dumb insult he decided to throw at me."

"And now you're talking to yourself..." Came a cold drawl to his left. "How pathetic."

Remus looked over to see Severus Snape, a boy his age with a large, hooked nose, pale face, and long, greasy black hair.

Remus sneered at the unpopular Slytherin. "Why do you care anyway? I'll bet you do it often enough, what with not having any real friends."

He sighed. "You and I really aren't as unlike each other as you may think."

Remus shifted uncomfortably. "I beg to differ."

"Do you, now?" Severus suppressed a smile. "Tell me then- why is it that you won't talk to anyone?"

Remus shrugged. He knew why. He also knew there was no way Severus was a werewolf. "I don't guess I really care what people think. Well, that and lack of confidence." It wasn't a lie. He had a severely low self-esteem and he couldn't care less what people thought of him.

"Exactly." said Severus. "Lack of confidence. I've had that problem my whole life and, by the looks of it, so have you." Remus thought as the pallid teenager continued, "You know... I think about it day after day... I would give anything to be Potter or Black."

Remus laughed wryly. "I wouldn't."

Severus looked at him sharply as though he had only just realized he was there. "Why on earth not? Everyone likes them."

"They're just handsome, self-absorbed jerks."

"But they're popular." reiterated Severus. "You don't know what it's like to be me. Every day, every moment of my life, I've had this lust for good looks, for friends." He looked at Remus with a bitterness in his eyes the young werewolf never thought he'd see. "At least you have friends."

Remus looked at him, a new feeling overcoming him. Severus Snape was human. He was corrupted by the Dark Arts, cold-hearted, and evil, but he was human nonetheless, and along with this was the dull nuance of real human emotions. "Why are you in here anyway?" asked Remus.

Snape held up his arm, which hung loosely. "Your little friend, Sirius, decided it would be funny to take your fight out on me. He took the bones out of my arm." He laid his pale, rubbery arm back down on the bed and looked the other way, obviously embarrassed about having been bullied so much.

"Ah... Yeah, sorry about that. It's why I'm in here as well. Speaking of which, I don't know why Madam Pomfrey won't let me leave. I'm perfectly fine."

Severus snorted. "Why do you want to get out of here so fast? It's a step up from out there." As he said this, Remus saw in the Slytherin's cold, black eyes a sort of sadness. He knew it was because he'd had a relatively friendly conversation with someone and it was about to end.

"You would think that..." Remus said, looking outside at the sun, which was beginning to set.

He looked back at Severus, who was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"You know..." began Severus. "I don't think I'd care if I were stupid, if I could only have some friends... You, on the other hand, have the luxury of being intelligent and having friends."

"Yeah, but if they're the kind of friends that do this to you..." He pointed at a dull, white scar on his arm from where Madam Pomfrey had healed the cut he'd received from Sirius. "Then you're better off on your own."

Severus continued to stare at the ceiling. "Well, look at me. I have no friends. But that kind of stuff happens to me anyway..." He blinked dully and turned over on his side, away from Remus.

Madam Pomfrey was one of the few people who knew Remus was a werewolf. Upon seeing the setting of the sun, she came racing into the room. "All right, Mr. Lupin, you may leave now. What I said before still goes. You stay away from that Sirius Black, he's a bad egg!"

Remus rolled his eyes as he leapt from the bed and ran out of the room. He sprinted through the corridor. He was beginning to feel lightheaded. The moon must have been rising.

He skidded around a corner, still running as fast as he could down the corridor. There was now a tiny voice in his ear saying, '_Just turn around, you know you want to..._'

"Shut up..." Remus panted angrily.

'_Don't tell me to shut up!' _The voice was getting louder by the second. Remus' legs were beginning to hurt and his lungs were on fire. _'I know you. I know you'd just love to sink your teeth into that nasty Slytherin back there. He's been practicing the Dark Arts for ages, it would do the world some good to weaken him._'

"Like you're doing to me, right?" Remus said to the voice, his side beginning to ache. Why did the Hospital Wing have to be so far from the third floor?

_'I don't make you weaker, you fool, I make you stronger! Why do you think the Shrieking Shack looks the way it does? I helped you do that, you never would have had the strength without me!' _The voice was yelling now.

Remus was nearing the third floor corridor. He was racing down the hall. He caught a glimpse outside and he saw the full moon, glowing cruelly as it returned from its sojourn around the Earth. It seemed to mock him, as if it knew it had control over what happened to Remus Lupin that night.

Remus looked down at his hand, which began to grow fur at an alarming pace. He groaned, thinking that, for once, he wouldn't make it to his destination.

_'Yes!'_ Shouted the cold voice inside his head. '_Someone's going to join us tonight, my friend!_ '

Remus gritted his teeth. "No..." He growled in a harsh voice quite unlike his own. He forced his weary legs to speed up, reaching inside his robes to grab his wand.

He could feel the moon's magnetic power working on him as he ran. He stopped in front of a room which, fortunately, seemed to be unoccupied.

"This isn't it..." He muttered to himself as he prayed that no one would be so unfortunate as to come across this door.

"_Alohomora!_" He hissed. He darted into the room and found that no one was in there. He sighed as he locked the door, breathing heavily.

He felt his teeth elongate and looked in a mirror to his left to see that he had large, canine fangs protruding from his mouth.

'_No!' _Shouted the voice inside his head. '_You had your chance at fresh meat tonight and you didn't take it! You fool! Turn back now, there's still time!'_

He spoke with a muffled voice, his tongue and lips crowded by a mouthful of teeth as his nose began to lengthen into a long, thin snout. "I'm not letting anyone get hurt!" With that, he took out his wand, pointed it at himself and shouted as clearly as he could, _"STUPEFY!"_

In a flash of blinding red light, a fully developed werewolf was lying motionless on the floor of an unused classroom.

_AN: Okay, I know that was really out of character for Snape, so please keep those particular comments to a minimum. But it has its purposes… Besides, I may come back a little later and change some of it and make him seem a little more dehumanized or something. Whatever. Review, tell me what you think!_


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